President: John Murphy 783-1515 Ted Yon 783-7966

Vice President: Eric Kinnard 631-3264 John Murphy 783-1515

Secretary/Treasurer: John Soukup 783-7128 Young Eagle Coordinator

Newsletter Editor: Fred Mahan 452-5797 Tony Yacono 459-0080

Flight Advisor

Tom Hennessy 452-4021

The next meeting will be the second Wednesday of January

in the CAP Hangar at the southwest corner of Merritt Island Airport

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EAA Chapter 724

P. O. Box 320923

Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

January’s chapter meeting will move back to its regular location, the CAP hangar on the southeast corner of Merritt Island airport.

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The December meeting was again at the Merritt Island Air Service hangar. A Chapter "Thank You" to Irv and Alice Bubeck for again providing the meeting place for us. Irv announced at the meeting that Merritt Island Air Service was being purchased by Bob Gleue, who attended the meeting and said that he hoped to continue serving as the Bubecks have.

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Some chapter members know Mike Cardinale, who lives just off of Valkaria airport. Mike build a Defiant ten years ago, flew it for hundreds of hours, and sold it last year. A few weeks ago he sold his Skymaster, too. He is now building a Glasair FT, in which he plans to install a Lycoming O-360 and constant speed prop. Mike considered building a retractable Glasair, but decided it wasn’t worth the time or money when John Murphy told him that a Glasair RG was only a few miles per hour faster than a similarly-equipped FT and that an RG with poorly rigged gear doors might actually be slower.

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Frank Caldeiro has been at work installing an electric trim system in his famous yellow Long-EZ. He used the trim system sold by Menzimer Aircraft Components (MAC), who also make neat cushion stick grips with a variety of buttons available on top. You’ve probably seen their display at Sun ‘n Fun.

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This is the month that chapter dues -- are due! Enclosed with this newsletter is a membership application. Please fill out the application and bring it and $12 to the chapter meeting. If you can’t attend, please send it to the Chapter mailing address on the masthead or give it to our Secretary/Treasurer, John Soukup.

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From "The AeroElectric Connection", published by Bob Nuckolls

Q: I’m getting ready to build a switch panel for my VariEze project. I plan to use toggle switches but my hangar mate has a Cessna type, split-rocker for battery master and alternator control. Is there some advantage of using this switch?

A: No advantage what-so-ever! In fact, I have a plastic bag full of these critters that appeared to be okay but were causing voltage instability problems in both certified Cessnas and some homebuilts. This switch was designed for Cessna back in the 60’s with interlocking that prevented shutting the battery master off and leaving the alternator on. Most alternators don’t run well with the battery offline; alternators of the time were no exception. The interlocking feature does allow you to turn the alternator off without shutting off the battery. The switch has acquired some aura of magic about it; you do find it on a lot of homebuilt panels even when it doesn’t match the rest of the switches. My current design runs both alternator field and battery master switching through a single, double pole switch. Battery and alternator come on and off together. If you need to shut down an alternator in flight (rare) then pull the field breaker. There’s nothing magic about the Cessna style, split rocker so I recommend you plan a simple toggle switch that matches the rest of your panel.

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From Avemco’s On Approach, Fall 1995.

The Canadian government has implemented a new customs clearance program under which pre-registered general aviation aircraft can receive telephone clearance from the U. S. into Canada through seven boarder-area GA airports; (800) 265-6233.

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From Fall 1995 EAA Technical Counselor News

Barry Controls Aero-space manufactures FAA-PMA approved engine mounts for almost every single-engine Cessna, at prices substantially below what Cessna sells Lord mounts for. For instance, by using Barry Controls mounts when installing an engine on a 1975 C-182, savings of more than $110 (40%) can be realized.

Barry mounts are marketed by many parts houses, or information about distributions can be obtained from Barry Controls Aerospace, P. O. Box 7710, Burbank, CA 91505, or by calling 818-843-1000 or faxing 818-845-6978.

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Kent Paser completed a Mustang II in 1971. With a O-320 150hp Lycoming, it trued out at 176 mph at 8000’. Gradually, over the years, Kent refined and cleaned up his Mustang II. By 1982 he had worked the TAS up to 227 mph at 8000’ with the same engine, and the aircraft would true at 218 at 12,000’. Kent wrote several articles about the cleanups, which appeared in Sport Aviation in the early 80’s. By 1992 he was getting 239 mph true at 8000’ (an improvement of 63 mph over the original airframe!) and 232 true at 12,000’, still with the carburated O-320, although he had put 160 hp pistons in it. Throttled back, he can true out at 202 mph using only 6.4 gph. This is amazing performance for a fixed-pitch prop, fixed gear airplane.

Kent recently published a book, Speed With Economy, which carefully explains the changes he made over the years to increase his aircraft’s performance, as well as documenting experiments which did not work out. The 170-page book is available from EAA for $24.95 plus $6.50 shipping and handling, or directly from Paser Publications, 5672 West Chestnut Avenue, Littleton, CO 80123, for $24.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. This book will be invaluable to anyone trying to clean up their aircraft for improved performance.

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from Stoddard-Hamilton News, #58, 3rd Quarter 1995.

Fuel injector nozzles occasionally get partially plugged. The easiest test to do is the old "coke-bottle" test. Get any six identical bottles, remove the injectors, reconnect them to the delivery lines, put the lines into the bottles, and turn on the boost pump for two minutes or so. Any discrepancy of significance will be apparent and the culprit is identified.

Most people don’t seem to realize that vapor bubbles are manufactured in normal operation by out engine-driven fuel pumps. This was demonstrated by Piper thirty years ago when developing the Navajo. I saw this demonstrated at Vero Beach in 1967 on their mockup of fuel system where all the components were duplicated in transparent plastic or had plastic windows in them. Aerostart also acknowledges this when they call for boost pump in all climbs and flight above 10,000 feet.

A 0.40" (#60 drill) hole will pass 5-7 gallons/hour at 15 psi. If you place a tee in the line from the engine pump to the servo with this restrictor in the return line, you’ll always have five gallons/hour flow even when the throttle is closed (as in waiting for takeoff or in a rapid descent). This flow of fuel through the pump keeps it cool and prevents the accumulation of bubbles which would otherwise occur. The return line goes back to the tank or to the filter inlet.

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From Summer 1995 EAA Technical Counselor News

I recently agreed to give a BFR to a pilot/builder of a VariEze. I knew the airplane and the workmanship was excellent.

Following the ground instruction and airplane preflight I asked if we could check the support equipment on board. He pulled out tie-down ropes, small chocks, and a canopy cover. Knowing he was his own mechanic, I asked what else was on board. Finally digging out a set of spark plugs, miscellaneous fittings, spare tire tube, plastic bag with nuts, bolts, etc., and tools to accomplish general maintenance, the equipment weight rose to 18 pounds. I asked if this was subtracted from or included in his gross weight calculations when he was going fully loaded. The answer was, "Damn, I never thought of that!"

Homebuilders usually are ready for maintenance away from home base, but they should consider how much weight in equipment they carry. It grows unintentionally as the pilot thinks up "what ifs." Pilots should be aware of the weight creep that can be caused by adding tools and parts. It can put you fifteen or twenty pounds over gross and where is the CG now?

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